


A dime a dozen

by sugarwoomy



Series: A dark world surrounds us [1]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Blood, Blood and Injury, Cuddling, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, No Beta, Original Character(s), Superheroes, Temporary Character Death, We Die Like Men, overprotective friend seonghwa, the tags make this seem a lot scarier than it is, woosan being woosan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:12:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28516218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarwoomy/pseuds/sugarwoomy
Summary: "So our attacker seems to only be attacking hot freshmen girls?""That's right""Oh lord San! We have to keep you safe. He might accidentally grab you too!"---Alternatively: San is a struggling Sophomore in college, pursuing a degree in biology while his friends bicker about BTS cover dances. But what happens when a string of murders grabs hold of their campus and his friends are caught up in the crosshairs. Will they be able to defend themselves with their newfound powers or will the lie hopeless as their loved ones perish?--Basically a Superhero AU created by an idiot who has a unhealthy obsession with X-Men
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Park Seonghwa
Series: A dark world surrounds us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088930
Comments: 12
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue: Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, this is my first work in the ateez fandom so don't come for me too hard. I used to write stray kids fanfics so if you muddled in that crowed before, my writing may sound familiar to you ^^
> 
> Anyways, I hope you can enjoy reading this piece as much as I had fun writing it!

A loud beeping interrupted the college sophomores' much-needed sleep. Two audible groans later, San lazily reached over to snooze his phone yet again. 

You see San has this morning ritual of setting one too many alarms and refusing to get up until his roommate threatens to suffocate him with his stuffed animal collection. Seonghwa, as innocent as he may look, is absolutely nuts, but San loves him even if he is threatened by the older on the daily. 

San is a biology major and lives out quite the boring existence (according to most of his friends). His life basically revolves around going to class, eating, studying, and getting the absolute minimum recommended amount of sleep a night. 

He is not exactly sure how he got paired up to room with one of the most overbearing and controlling people he's ever met in his entire life. His roommate, Seonghwa, is an elementary education major, his entire existence is the plague to San. Not only is San running on around 2 hours of sleep each and every day, but having to deal with his roommate's temper tantrums over different educational principles, nearly drives San up the wall.

But not all is grim in the life of Choi San. Although he is not exactly skilled, at maintaining social contacts, he has quite the bulletproof friend group.

And that is where he sits at the moment, in a packed lunch hall, sandwiched between the two loudest people on campus. Honestly, San does not remember how he got here, he's caught between being impressed by the fact that he can't remember ever leaving his bed this morning, or relieved at the fact that he blanked out the least important lecture of the day.

Nobody seemingly has caught on to Sans's emotional absence, as Yunho and Wooyoung bicker over who should lead in their upcoming BTS cover competition. 

“Honestly I think Wooyoung would do great as center.”, is the first thing San managed to spew out during the entire 20-minute conversation which played off in front of his momentarily deaf character.

“See! I told you so!” “That’s not fair! He doesn't even know anything about dancing!” “You don't need to know anything about dancing to appreciate my amazing stage presence!”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes and takes another stab at his lunch. 

Just when Yunho and Wooyoung were about to escalate their argument once again. Yeosang, Jongho, and Hongjoong appear. “Finally! Could you come and tame your children before we have Kimchi stuck to our foreheads” Seonghwa exclaims when Hongjoong sits down across from him.

“You would think someone as mature and responsible as you would be able to tame them. How are you going to control a classroom of 30 kids if you can’t even de-escalate an argument between your boyfriend and workout buddy”

Seonghwa scoffed at the words which left the other's mouth, wanting to retaliate the attack with one of his own, before a hangry Yeosang dropped his plate on the lunch table.

“As much as I would love to hear about the struggles of being a  _ dance  _ major, some of us would like to use this time as a detox, so shut up” he mumbled. Although Yunho and Wooyoung were known to be shameless, this did not mean they were borderline suicidal. 

Yeosang and Wooyoung were childhood friends, they have spent years in each other's presence, which means he knows exactly when to shut up around his little friend. Even though Wooyoung is loud and oftentimes inconsiderate of others and their situation, he knows Yeosang works his ass off.

Yeosang and Jongho both study medicine. Yeosang claims medicine is his passion, saving people comes naturally to him and he loves the rewarding feeling it gives him. (Yunho would say, “Of course it’s natural and rewarding? If it would not feel like a natural instinct to save dying people we would have a lot more serial killers running about”)

Jongho on the other hand was only in it for the money, of course, he would not openly say this, but when comparing Yeosang and Jonghos's goals in life. Owning a Ferrari and helping cure cancer definitely sounded quite different.

Jongho obviously is not a monster though, his love lies in fitness and soccer, unfortunately, it’s just har convincing your mom to let you drop out of college to become a professional soccer player at the age of 22. 

So here they sit, in awkward silence aside from Hongjoong reciting Shakespeare under his breath. 

A good 10 minutes into this semi-awkward silence, Yeosang finally drops his chopsticks into his bowl. A sigh of relief can be heard coming from Wooyoung, who immediately starts up a discussion.

“So have any of you heard of those recent campus homicides. I heard yesterday a girl was found half beaten to death in the girl's locker room. But miraculously she's still alive an-”, “for now.” Yeosang mumbles out while looking down at his empty dish.

“Hah well she’s in the best hospital around, everyone seems pretty certain she’ll make a full recovery, and she probably will have some info on the culprit.” Wooyoung countered, a smug look on his face as if he had just said the smartest thing in the entire world. 

“That’s what they said about the last girl too..” Yeosang mumbles yet again, grabbing his stuff in a blink of an eye and getting up, pulling a confused Jongho with him. Abandoning his group of friends as quickly as he had joined them, to begin with.

“What did he mean by that?” San asked, tilting his head, wondering if anyone else was capable of offering any more information. 

“The last 3 girls that were attacked all survived the initial attack, they were all transferred to local hospitals, but all seemingly passed a few days later in suspicious ways.” Hongjoong answers.

“But that might just be a coincidence!” Wooyoung half screams, forcing Yunho to quickly clasp a hand over his mouth.

“It doesn't really matter, none of us are in any immediate danger anyhow. The assailant seems to be targeting young freshmen girls. And as far as I know, none of us are freshmen, girls, or have girlfriends who fit into that agenda, so we can rest easy.” Hongjoong states before getting up himself, nodding towards Seonghwa as in a bid for him to join him. They both quickly gather up their things and head out. Leaving only the two troubled dancers and an exhausted San behind.

“You think it’s safe for you to walk home from classes alone tonight Sanshine? It gets dark around 4pm nowadays, and I am pretty sure your last class ends at 6.” Wooyoung states in a playful tone.

“Unless I am undergoing a surprise sex change operation in the next 4 hours, I believe I should be safe to wander campus grounds.” he sighs softly and gathers up his belongings as well, bidding the two dancers a farewell before heading towards his next class. 

Whoever said Neurology was an interesting subject was a liar and deserved a first-class ticket to hell himself. 4 hours later and Sans brain felt like lighting itself aflame, his muscles burned from trying to take as many notes as possible during his lecture, as to make sure to not miss any small detail, as most biology majors will tell you, there is no such thing as an unimportant fact in biology. 

San is surprised that he managed to stay awake during the entire lecture, he had 


	2. Cafeteria bust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, San would not be surprised if he were the killer himself, if it weren't for the fact that in the testimony of the victim, the killer is described as a `Tall, ginger, 170 pound man with a deep voice´.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we are getting somewhere ^^
> 
> Warnings; descriptions of blood, non-graphic depictions of injury and physical fights
> 
> Enjoy!

s the end of the semester edged closer, students began stressing over finals, and teachers, as they are known to do, began increasing the workload accordingly. 

Nothing has really changed in Sans life. The sun might hang a while longer, but this did not miraculously change anything in his life. His sleep schedule was still wack, although he had promised himself, during that encounter with his  _ attacker  _ (better known as Wooyoung), that he would change his habits. 

He was currently battling a nasty cold, his immune system probably not up to par due to his poor (also read as: lack of) self-care. His head was burning up, forcing him to sweat through multiple layers of clothes and bedsheets a week. 

Obviously, his roommate took notice of this, continuously spraying the younger with disinfectant whilst shouting, “Stop spreading your gross germs!”. 

He has been battling this cold for almost two months now. His entire friend group was starting to worry about the boy's health, wondering if perhaps something more crucial and sinister was causing him to feel this way. But San blew it off. There's just no way he had some crazy illness, besides neither Yeosang nor Jongho could come up with any plausible sicknesses that could cause his nightly routine of sweating like he had just run a marathon. 

Thus they sat there, at the same lunch table they always did, waiting for Yeosang to finish his plate of fried chicken before striking up conversations. 

“You know...It has been awfully quiet around campus lately.” Wooyoung starts, “No parties, no accidents..” he went on, “..no murders…” he whispered, only for their table to hear.

“Yeah no shit you idiot, you think anyone has time to party during finals. And I’m pretty sure Mr. Campus killer got scared shitless, knowing his last victim survived, and gave a detailed description of what he looked like. He can’t strike, here again, he would be caught before he even stepped foot on the grounds.” Yunho stated, leaning back in his chair after letting out his short rant.

Sans eyes traveled towards Yeosang, the boy always seemed to know something about the case, or at least he pretended to. Honestly, San would not be surprised if he were the killer himself if it weren't for the fact that in the testimony of the victim, the killer is described as a `  _ Tall, ginger, 170-pound man with a deep voice  _ ´. 

Yeosang shook his head and let out a deep sigh, all heads at the table turning towards him, “You guys don’t seriously believe she survived because was lucky, right? This was obviously planned. I am not sure why, but it had to be.” 

Wooyoung was about to state his opinion on the case again when loud shouting suddenly interrupted the comfortable muttering of the cafeteria. All heads turned, almost cinemaesque. San searched for answers while looking over towards the scene. The screaming came from about 5 tables away, not close enough to see anything, but not far away enough to feel comfortable enough to ignore the screams. 

Yeosang and Jongho jumped out of their chairs almost immediately, following the screams, whilst Wooyoung and Seonghwa seemed to communicate telepathically that `  _ I am not going near that  _ ´. San curiously got up and trailed the two medics. 

Ahead lied a scene straight out of a horror movie, two girls stood in the middle of the lunch hall, covered head to toe in blood, but neither of them looked visibly hurt. The girls were screaming at the top of their lungs, wailing as if they had just been shot. 

San watched as Yeosang ran forward, gripping one of the girl's shoulders as he looked her up and down, trying to spot a wound that could cause such immense bleeding. Jongho followed in his footsteps, doing the same with the other girl. Both of them had a scowl on their face, a look of confusion.

After around 30 seconds of screaming, one of the girls was coherent enough to point towards the large double doors, mewling out a horrified cry whilst covering her eyes.

San quickly shot around and, out of the corner of his eye, caught a glimpse of a figure slamming the door shut once again. Without a second thought the boy ran towards the doors, he could hear his friends, namely Wooyoung and Seonghwa, shouting at him to stay in the cafeteria. 

But San did not listen.

The second he stepped foot into the school hallway, he was met with the sight of bloody footprints. San cursed at himself on the inside, wondering why he hadn't at least brought one of the plastic knives from lunch (although that most likely would not have helped him anyhow). He slowly turned a corner, the bloody footprints leading him towards the huge gymnasium located on the far east end of the hall. San noted that nobody was around. Of course, nobody was around. Most students were at lunch, and most sports majors tended to spend their time outside when the weather did not absolutely suck. 

The moment San pushed open the door to the gymnasium, dread started to boil in his gut. He caught a whiff of something he could only describe as burnt meat at a BBQ. He was disgusted and quickly switched to breathing with his mouth. But what he saw was something he had not even expected in his wildest dreams.

Ahead of him stood a man, a tall ginger man. Much like the description had stated, the only problem was, this man was not anything close to what he expected. The man was muscular, yes I suppose San  _ should  _ have expected a serial killer to be muscular. But this man was different. 

Not only was he muscular, and he was tall,  _ very tall _ , he definitely towered over poor San. He sported two large horns on his forehead as well as two large swords, the size of at least 5 MacBooks in size. The biceps of this man, no...  _ beast _ , was the size of a small twingo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh san...exploded? Weird...
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave a comment and a kudo. I appreciate any feedback ;;
> 
> Let me know what to write next!
> 
> My twitter: @sugarwommy


	3. Sleepless nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well to me you were my knight in shining armor!” San nearly shouted out, making the other flinch in the process. 
> 
> “Does that make you my damsel in distress?”, he asked half jokingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it with a new chapter. This chapter is slightly dialogue heavy, but I wanted to showcase the relationship of woosan and yunhwa more ^^
> 
> TW(?) mentions of death (nobody dies don't worry)

San was sitting on a patch of green grass across from the gymnasium. The day had slowly shifted into the night. The only thing illuminating the campus being the red and blue lights admitted from the police vehicles circling the gym. 

San stared blankly towards the scene. 

A fire had broken out. How? San had no clue. 

The police had questioned Wooyoung and him countless times throughout the hours which had passed. Neither of them in a clear headspace to accurately describe what had happened.

Honestly, San thinks he could never be in the right headspace to explain all  _ this _ . How could he explain that  _ he had fought with a 6-foot tall rhino man?  _ And then on top of all that _ , had exploded and miraculously survived?  _

As San looked to his left, he was faced with Wooyoung who sprouted an equally lost expression on his face. 

“What happened after I blacked out?”, San asked. He had no recollection of the events following his supposed  _ explosion.  _

“Bro, if I could tell you I would. I- You-...” he hesitated, letting out a heavy sigh before turning to look San straight in the eye “It was like straight out of a sci-fi movie. You just- You ran forwards, honestly, first I thought I died, like...after watching you run forward there was this huge blast. Felt like a truck plowed straight into me. The second I opened my eyes, that guy. No, that  _ beast _ . He was gone. It was like he never even existed. But you were laying there, all torn up.” He looked towards his hands, hesitating with his next sentence, “I thought you were  _ dead  _ ” he whispered the last word. A whimper emitting from his throat. “And all around us was fire. It burned so hot, but it never reached us...It never came close to us, it was- it’s almost like it purposefully avoided us.” He covered his eyes with his palms. Letting out a shaky breath.

San didn’t know how to comfort the other. San wasn't exactly an emotionally responsive person. He sat there in silence, soaking up the words which the other had shared. 

To be quite honest, San did not remember much of anything. He had passed out the second Wooyoung had told him he `exploded´. He wasn't sure if it was due to pain (he felt none now so that likely wasn't the cause) or due to shock (seems plausible). But whatever the reason, San felt undoubtedly guilty. 

Not only had he dragged one of his friends into his dumb act of bravery, almost killing him in the process. But on top of all that he had abandoned the other afterward, leaving Wooyoung to ponder alone with his thoughts as paramedics were called. 

To San, the younger was a hero. He had carried him out of the burning gymnasium, into safety, and hadn’t left his side since. He had sacrificed his own safety by going to the gym, to begin with. 

San was grateful.

San looked over at the boy once again, taking in his slightly trembling form. Reaching over he took one of his hands into his own, directing the gaze of the others towards his.

“Thank you”, he muttered.

“What for?”, Wooyoung shuttered, his fingers twitching in the hold.

“For saving me. For coming to my rescue.”, he attempted to give the younger a small smile.

“I didn't exactly do much..”, he mumbled, reciprocating with a half awkward smile.

“Well to me you were my knight in shining armor!” San nearly shouted out, making the other flinch in the process. 

“Does that make you my damsel in distress?”, he asked half-jokingly.

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Let me know your thoughts/ideas or feedback in the comments.  
> How do you guys think yunhwa will react once Woosan decide to show up again?
> 
> See you soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If San was the flame then Wooyoung was the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update ): I got a bit bussyyy

_ The air is stuffy, thick, smoke laced. He would be more concerned if he was not acutely aware of the tall looming figure across from him. Inhaling the deadly fumes emitting from his lit cigarette. The air was not only thick with smoke, but the heavyweight of the others' eyes also laid on him. The look of utter disgust, disappointment, absolute disbelief.  _

_ Of course. He understood the other's frustration. _

_ His only task was to eliminate the meerkat-looking boy. _

_ This boy, as sweet as he may look, as innocent as he may seem, had a fire within himself. Quite literally. The boy was powerful, and once he is made aware of this, he would be unstoppable. As of right now, he's weak, he's only able to muster up his inner strength when needed. He acts purely on adrenaline and fear.  _

_ But San is not stupid. He is incredibly smart, meticulous in most senses of the word. He may seem like a whirlwind to his spectators, yet deep down his life is structured beyond comprehension. His stubbornness, his trust, and impeccable bond with his friends make him an incredibly dangerous person of interest. _

_ People like San, despite being kind-hearted at their core, are quick to make rash decisions. Which sounds contradictory, of course, it does. How is someone so structured in their mind, but acts on impulse?  _

_ It’s a simple concept. Emotions are a powerful force. _

_ San might be structured in the sense that he knows what he wants, he knows what he deserves and he will work towards his goals no matter the consequence. But somewhere, in the depths of his brain, when you pass all the piles of homework, coursework, and study material. You will be faced with what is truly important to him.  _

_ It might sound stereotypical. Gosh, it might even sound stupid, but love is an important emotion. He saw that when he fought San. The fire within his eyes, once his friend, dare even say perhaps crush, was threatened with death.  _

_ And that is what makes San so deadly. It’s why it is so important for him to squish the life out of San.  _

_ It sounds cruel, but so is life. And unfortunately, San is the biggest obstacle between him and moving forward with life. _

If you were to ask San how he felt last night. He would give you a blank stare. A monotonous voice would state that he had no idea how he felt last night because unfortunately, he does not remember last night whatsoever.

His last recollection of the past day had been watching the sunset, whilst Wooyoung and he watched cops slowly gather up their gear before driving off. 

When, how, and why he ended up curled in Wooyoung's dorm room, the younger spooning him, he had no clue. Not that he was complaining. The cooling effect the other had on him eased his mind. He appreciated the arm draped around his waist more than anything. It felt grounding. But above all

it reminded him of the boy's presence, it reminded him that all that had happened the previous day was in the past. That the younger was safe.

The breath on his nape reminded him of the previous close call. San promised himself that, that would never, ever, happen again.

If it were up to him, he would never have left the embrace of the other. He wanted to lie here forever. He would love to lie there until Wooyoung's palms would imprint themself onto his skin. He wanted to feel Wooyoung's breath on his skin until the day they would both take their last.

San hovered his hands above Wooyoungs. Pressing his palm against the top of the other hand. Attempting to interlace his fingers with the others. 

Wooyoung always had a cooling aura. No matter the heat outside, his skin would always reject the heat, leaving him with a cool, but comfortable temperature regardless of the season. Some would undoubtedly hate it. Read up on any sort of romance book and cuddling with your significant other, creating a hotbed together, seems to be the most romantic gesture imaginable.

Ironically San felt the opposite. Especially in recent months. 

Growing up he was always warm-blooded. His body would resonate heat at the slightest of physical exercise. His cheeks would flush and sweat would drip down his forehead. This was an absolute plague during the summer months, during winter however he couldn't complain. He was basically a portable heater. His hands would warm up any freezing civilian. He could create mini heaters for his friends by leaving his hands in his pockets for a mere minute.

In recent months, with his sudden fever syndrome, his body temperature was constantly boiling. Seonghwa refused to touch his forehead after an unfortunate encounter with it on a long weekend. 

If San was the flame then Wooyoung was the water. 

Wooyoung may have the body heat of a vampire. But vampires were hot anyway, and so was Wooyoung.

His thoughts were suddenly cut short by a loud bang and a shout which followed.

“YOU TWO WERE FUCKING WHILE SEONGHWA HAD A MENTAL BREAKDOWN?!?!?!” came from the door. The shouting stirred Wooyoung who, much to Sans dismay, proceeded to pull away from the older. 

“Nobody fucked” he muttered out. Covering his eyes with the sleeve of his nightgown, voice raspy and laced with exhaustion. 

“Nobody fucked?! Explain this!” Yunho stormed forward, throwing a bottle of what Yunho considered lube, which was previously situated on the floor, towards Wooyoung's face.

“That’s not even mine you idiot” Wooyoung replied in an angry tone “Do you really believe I would use Coconut OIL as lube?!” he huffed, tossing the lube back to Yunho who let out a scoff. Begrudgingly placing the bottle on the desk. 

San sat up, a light pout visible on his lips when he realized his premium cuddle time was now over. 

Before San was able to word his disapproval. Yunho cut him off, “So were you guys here...the whole time?” he asked, slightly annoyed.

“No. We got back here at around 11pm.” Wooyoung answered. His tone seemingly annoyed.

“Where were you all that time? Seonghwa was, probably IS, having a mental breakdown about San being gone. Jesus, he thought you guys DIED!” he angrily stomped across the room, pulling out his phone to presumably send a picture of them to Seonghwa. 

“He almost did” Wooyoung mumbled, it would have been easily missed in basically any other situation, unfortunately not this time though. Yunho's head whipped up from the screen. His confusion was visible. His eyes scanning the two boys for any form of bodily harm done.

“We're fine” San added, sensing the tense atmosphere in the room.

“San is a wizard,” Wooyoung stated.

“W-What? Wizard? Are you sure you guys aren't high or drunk or at the very least not sleep-deprived?” Yunho asked, half-joking but half-serious at the same time.

“I saw it with my own eyes. He-” Wooyoung hesitated. Why? San had no clue. He knew Wooyoung hadn't told him everything. Eyes glowing and a flash couldn't be everything, at least it wouldn't be enough to freak Wooyoung out. But apparently, it did, which scared San more than he wanted to admit.

“He what? Flew around like a fairy and did party tricks?” Yunho asked, jokingly. Assuming Wooyoung was either hungover or insane, both honestly very probable (usually at least).

“Nah more like he burnt a dude to ash type of Wizard,” Wooyoung said, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Burnt a guy to ash. BURNT A GUY TO ASH? 

Yunho and San had equal looks of confusion written all over their face. Wooyoung obviously caught on but refused to give any more verbal information. Instead, he held a hand out towards San.

“Take it,” he said in an assertive tone. 

San did as he was told, no less confused. Until suddenly he felt cold run throughout his veins. The overwhelming feeling of weight being added to his body. He felt his blood rush, like an ocean crashing into a rocky cliffside. The tide is ever rising. His lungs felt heavy, his breath coming in short puffs rather than long draws until suddenly he couldn't inhale whatsoever. His eyes widened, panic spreading through his veins. A sudden burst of adrenaline reaching his brain. An uncomfortable second later, he leaned forward. His brain was telling him to puke up the substance in his lungs. Whatever it was had to be expelled, regardless of the cost. He ripped his hand out of Wooyoung's grip and grasped at his chest, yet the second he pulled away, a new feeling escaped his throat, no longer was it water escaping his lips. It was fire, well not really fire, but an oozy hot liquid. Which pooled on the floor of the dorm before evaporating into thin air seconds later.

San was shocked, Yunho was speechless, Wooyoung looked...smug? 

“Wh-What h-” San tried to utter out a coherent sentence.

“I am so glad I am no longer the only freak on campus” Wooyoung spoke out. San would have laughed and said he is STILL the only freak on campus, but unfortunately his brain decided that it would be an amazing moment to just shut off. Thus San sagged forward, his body falling right into Wooyoung's awaiting arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W-Well that was unexpected ...  
> Who could be the person talking in that beginning monologue...
> 
> Please leave some thoughts, ideas criticism or any string of words in the comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is good. At least for Yunho.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This chapter deals with coming out and past bullying from classmates. It is not too graphic but just be warned. If you are uncomfortable with those themes then please skip this chapter, the information that is important for the plot later on will be described in great detail later as well.

Wooyoung and Yeosang met at the age of 5. They were placed in the same elementary school class and subsequently became inseparable. Wooyoung was always known as a troublemaker, whereas Yeosang was always the teacher's pet. Their friendship always baffled the entire school board. Regardless, they marched on. They graduated elementary school and made sure to be placed in the same middle school. 

Middle school was a whole new ballgame. Yeosang continued to concentrate primarily on his studies while Wooyoung lived out his youth by whoring around the playground. Wooyoung always attempted to make Yeosang socialize. He invited the boy to parties, to school balls, and forced him into the baseball team. But unfortunately, none of this was enough and Yeosang dropped out of partaking in these activities shortly after. Yeosang stayed by Wooyoung's side when he was first dumped. Yeosang was there for him when he got wiped out drunk and puked all over his front. Yeosang was there for him when his parents kicked him out for coming out as gay. Yeosang was there for him when the boy barely made it through high school. Wooyoung was troubled. He dabbled with addiction and made his fair share of bad decisions. He got mixed in with the wrong crowd and ended up on the wrong side of the law. But nevertheless, Yeosang was always there for him. 

Whenever Wooyoung would show up at Yeosangs family home, shitfaced whilst crying. His family would take him in as if they were a family. And to Yeosang, they were. They might not share blood but they definitely shared the same morals and beliefs. 

It was not until Yeosang turned 19 and came out to Wooyoung, did the other let him in. It was not until Yeosang told Wooyoung about all the situations he was put in, all the names he had been called. The number of times he was punched in the face after baseball practice. The number of times his classmates would call him a fag and break his stuff did Wooyoung finally sober up. He was enraged, disappointed. Disappointed not in Yeosang, but in himself. He should have seen the signs, he should have been there for the other. He should not have been out, getting high while Yeosang lied in pain somewhere for a baseball team Wooyoung had signed him up to. 

But most importantly, Wooyoung was sad. He was sad that it took Yeosang this long to tell him about his secret. He was sad that he had distanced himself so much from the other, that he did not even trust him anymore. Wooyoung was sad that when Yeosang told him he liked men, he had flinched away from Wooyoung, scared the other would treat him like the students did at school. 

Of course, Yeosang knew Wooyoung was gay as well, so in theory, he should not have to be scared of him. But unfortunately, Yeosang made the experience that some people might let their frustrations out on you, despite being part of the same community.

But nevertheless, the confession was most likely the single most important decision Yeosang ever made, not only for himself but everyone around him. 

His decision that day caused Wooyoung to abandon the people who dragged him down. It caused Wooyoung to spend more time with Yeosang again, which ironically also caused Wooyoung's grades to skyrocket. His interests in the arts spiked as well, his passion for dance becoming a driving force for Wooyoung. In the end, his passion granted the boy a scholarship to the same school Yeosang had been accepted into. 

The college was prestigious. A type of school Wooyoung would have never seen himself attending a year ago. He had never been a diligent student, he liked wasting his time on youtube, watching twice variety shows and boys strip on stage. When he received his scholarship, he was mind blown. His family and friends had always told him what an amazing dancer he was, but he considered himself pretty average. His movements lacked strength, his expressions faltered when he wasn't center, his legs lacked the muscle a lot of other dancers his age had. But apparently, it was enough to catch the attention of a talent scout during a school performance. This scout had recommended him to the college Yeosang was planning on attending, and the rest was history. 

Yunho and Wooyoung met on their first day of classes. They both immediately connected. Not only were they both male (in a major which was dominated by females) but they were also both Korean. They quickly grew close to one another, sharing their thoughts about classmates with the added security of their “secret” language. 

Yunho and Wooyoung ultimately became best friends, subsequently so did Yeosang. The duo suddenly turned into a trio. 

Yunho was the normal, small-town boy. He grew up trying to please his parents. He easily received straight As and excelled in any physical after-school activity he took part in. His amazing genetics made him the star player of his high school football team. His long legs carried him quicker than anyone could imagine. His body was incredibly lean yet muscular at the same time. The entire school swooned over the boy, his incredible smile making all the girls fall to their knees for him. 

Unfortunately for them, he was never interested in living out a hoe lifestyle. He kept mostly to himself, usually showing up at parties only for a few minutes so that he could at least claim to have made an appearance. His sophomore year his dad had urged him to take up a leadership role among his peers. 

“It looks good on your resume” he had claimed. 

Yunho being the obedient son he was, obviously took his father's advice and started up his very own club. Although he enjoyed Football, he did not want to apply to college and be known as “The kid who played football”. Thus he emerged himself in different sports. 

Throughout his life, he had taken up quite a lot of different sports. From Basketball to competitive swimming. He had basically done it all. He fondly remembered his 12-year-old self, infatuated with hip hop and street dance. The boy would spend hours in his garage, watching youtube videos on how to achieve that perfect move. Of course, his parents weren't allowed to find out about this though. 

Despite his parents being open to just about anything. The arts were like a taboo subject. His parents viewed hobbies such as dance, art, and theater as a waste of time. There are hundreds of talented people out there, going after such a fever dream would be a stupid decision and a waste of time. That's why they always deterred their children from seeking out such activities. 

But Yunho is a firm believer in the “You want what you can't have”.

And that is why, when his dad told him to start up his very own club, he opened up a dance club. The school was thrilled. A male student offering to teach dance was an amazing achievement in their eyes. The faculty of all the art clubs at his school were mostly filled with female staff and female members. So adding a guy into the mix seemed like the perfect diversity skit. 

It was not until his senior year where Yunho started to wonder if pursuing a career in real estate would truly be his passion. Of course, it brought in a lot of money, but money does not mean happiness. At Least not to Yunho. 

It was an extremely tough decision, one he had contemplated a long time about, but a week before college applications were due, he rewrote all his essays. Redid his entire application for that matter. And proudly applied as a Dance major. He would not tell his parents until he was certain he would be accepted anywhere.

He was nervous. Rightfully so. Not only would he most likely be competing against talented dancers, but the likes had also probably spent their entire life waiting to go to a dance school. But on top of that, his application reel was absolute garbage. 

He filmed his reel on a broken Ipad, balanced on a bunch of books, filmed in the dead of night, in his friend's cramped and stinky ass garage. The entire space is lit by only one small light attached to the thinnest wire he had ever seen, which did not exactly help him out either. 

But he was desperate, he would stop at nothing to follow his passion. If it meant sharing a bed with a rodent on the side of the street or having to dance in the oil-filled garage of his friend. So be it. Or at least that is how he sold it in his essay. 

In reality, Yunho did not expect to be accepted into any program. Especially after seeing that his safety school had rejected him, he had lost basically and form of hope. The next few days until the last letter of either rejection or despite the small chance  _ acceptance _ , fluttered in, he knew he would not be able to sleep. 

On Friday, Yunho checked the mail, seeing a letter of his dream school in the mailbox. His heart shrunk at the idea, that this tiny little letter could ultimately decide his entire fate. He took a deep breath and opened the letter. 

Risking a quick glance towards the bottom of the letter, he read the words  _ See you soon.  _ His eyes widened, he let out the longest and most needed sigh of relief he had ever mustered up. His parents heard him running in circles, letting out squeaks of happiness. 

“Did my little boy get accepted into the business course after all!” his mom shouted happily. 

Yunho had not thought this through. He had REALLY not thought this through. His mind obviously not connecting with his mouth, he unfortunately and unceremoniously blurts out “Yeah! He did!”.

Good job Yunho! You just ruined your future. 

He continued his fake front, his fake major, up until orientation. His parents helped him move into his dorm, ruffling his hair as they slowly made their way to exit the dorm. But not before casting an expecting look towards him. 

Yunho's heart shrunk.  _ They knew. _

Yunho was never really the best at hiding stuff. Every time he dabbled in his mom's makeup, every time his eyes lingered, just a second too long on those cutouts of Shawn Mendes at the mall. His parents knew. But they never mentioned it. 

When he had told his dad he had started a dance club instead of the political debates club his father had initially recommended. He saw that look. The look that seemed like it screamed disappointment but actually meant quite the opposite. 

His parents had accepted him when he came out. His parents had accepted him with almost any decision he had made up until this point. But art. The arts were, and always would be, the ultimate taboo. 

But now his parents knew. He knew that they knew that he knew that they knew. And that scared him. He expected him to lash out, he expected their pent-up frustrations with him to be let out all at once. He expected to be dragged straight out of this dorm room and right into a Christian bible camp somewhere in the mountains. 

But instead, his mom gave him another, warm smile. “Honey, I know that you knew we aren't stupid” she started. Her hands gripping his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze.

This was it. She was going to murder him right here. That smile on her lips was obviously fake, she was most likely planning his funeral in his mind at that exact moment. 

“We are proud of you” came from his dad.

“I know, I am sorry-” he blurted out. A few seconds later, the words of his dad finally registered. His head snapping towards his dad, staring him straight in the eyes. 

“You are...PROUD???!” he asked, a shocked expression on his face.

“Of course we are. You followed your passion. I guess if this IS your true passion. You will succeed.” his dad said, obviously having a hard time believing his own words.

Tears welled up in Yunho's eyes nevertheless. He leaned forward. Ultimately sandwiching his mom between him and his dad in an awkward family bear hug. 

“Thank you” he cried out, tears now streaming down his cheeks and onto the crown of his mom's head. 

“If you end up homeless at the age of 25 I will personally deliver the forehead flick of a lifetime to you” his dad joked.

Life was good, at least for Yunho. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be every Sunday from now on. 
> 
> I am also thinking of writing a Hybrid or Vampire AU (Maybe a one shot) but I'm not sure yet. If anyone would like that just mention it in the comments and I will see how everyone feels about it haha.


	6. eight makes one team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With friends like this nothing could go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Character death, Graphic injury, Maggots...

San remembered the day Mingi left as if it were yesterday. It was a beautiful spring day, flowers were beginning to sprout and cherry blossom petals floated towards the ground. The chill breeze a gentle reminder of the winter that had passed. 

The boys had gotten close over the first semester, Seonghwa who had shown them all around campus quickly became a staple in their group. They had a designated table at lunch where they met up each and every day. Winter break was undoubtedly the single most pivotal moment of their friendship. As most students started packing up their belongings and booking train tickets back home, the 8 boys stayed behind. None of them really had the desire to visit their family and according to Seonghwa he could “really use the time to study”. Obviously, they proceeded to do anything besides study. 

Their days were spent blowing up trash cans in the empty dorm hallways, putting mentos into coke bottles, and attempting to down the thing when it shot up, they spent endless nights curled up on Yunho's tiny ass couch while watching Christmas movies. And last but not least they spent new years together, celebrating the fact that they had found a new family. 

They subsequently became inseparable. Eight makes one team. Any doubts or fears they had were shut down in a heartbeat the second they spent as much as an hour in each other's presence. They were comforted by each other. 

And obviously, with friends like this nothing could go wrong. 

Until it did.

San used to believe everything happens for a reason. People came into your life for a reason, people left for a reason. Everything was planned out by some otherworldly being. Until it wasn't. It couldn't. There was no reason, no motive behind what happened. No purpose for Mingis sudden disappearance, no deeper reason for Mingis sudden death. 

Police had run San through the scenario a million times. 

A simple accident. A drunk driver on a quiet street. Nobody checked the ditch for a skinny lanky boy.

Yet Sans mind told him nobody cared. Nobody went and checked for Mingi. Nobody realized he was missing until a whole day later. Nobody noticed. Nobody cared. 

San beat himself up each and every day. Blaming himself for his friend's death. If only he had picked up the boy. If only he would have tried to call him that night, only to realize he didn't answer. If only he had called authorities a few hours earlier. If only…

San also blamed that otherworldly being. Mingi never had a purpose in life. He never achieved any of his dreams. He never got to experience life. He never got to graduate. He never served his purpose. In sans opinion, he never achieved any purpose whatsoever. He merely existed to cause others pain. All Mingi did was cause San pain. 

San slumped back in his chair. The past week was exhausting, to say the least. He spent a good portion of his time reading about possible mental illnesses. Something that could explain this...situation. 

He concluded that his entire friend group, including him, must be experiencing such immense pressure that they began imagining things. Obviously? Right? Yeah right. That is the only explanation as to why Wooyoung was able to manipulate water. 

Perhaps San was dead. Maybe this is what life after death was really like. Just a bunch of unlikely scenarios happening at once. Maybe death isn't all that what it was made out to be. 

Or perhaps this was all real. Maybe this really was happening. Maybe San was not insane. 

The past week Wooyoung had been taking him out to empty fields at 3am. Something about “You have to hone your powers”. San called bullshit. How could Wooyoung expect him to produce Fire out of nowhere? “Concentrate on your core,” he said, “Fixate one area,” he said. But San couldn't. He would never be able to. 

And thus he sat there. Angry, Frustrated, staring holes into his notebooks. 

Nothing made sense anymore. They could not be the only two people experiencing this. That was impossible. There must be hundreds, thousands, MILLIONS of people with the same powers. But where were they? How come you never heard of them? 

San was torn out of his thoughts when he heard a sudden shout outside his window. Something akin to a person crying out in pain. San ran to his window expecting a bunch of rowdy drunkards running around campus. But he was faced with nothing. There was nobody. Nobody? That couldn't be. 

San let out a sigh and grabbed a jacket, making his way down the flight of stairs and towards the main entrance of their dorm. San never considered himself very adventurous. But in recent times, he was proudly embracing the ever prevalent loom of death. 

San turned a corner, expecting to find something or someone. But there was nothing. He ran a few rounds around the little square, almost hoping something would pop out at him. 

Sans did it now, huh? He's imagining things now. He's officially gone insane. 

In the middle of his mental turmoil, he feels his pocket vibrate. He answers nonchalantly, listening to Wooyoung's rant about class. About how his asscheeks hurt from doing the splits and how amazing Yunho's thighs are (he's currently laying on them). San was not sure if he should let him in on his dirty little secret. San did not want to tell the younger about his mental breakdown. About the fact that San was now IMAGINING screams outside his dorm room. Perhaps Wooyoung would have advice. Or he would give him a first-class ticket straight to a mental institution.

Sans thoughts were quickly interrupted by rustling on the other line. He heard Wooyoung jump up and run around the room. “What're you doing?” San asked, confused as to why the boy would jump up like that.

“I thought I heard something,” Wooyoung whispered into the line. “Why would someone be shouting. It’s Tuesday.” Wooyoung stated, obviously confused. 

Sans eyes panned towards Wooyoung's dorm complex. He trained his eye for some sort of movement, yet he saw...no one. He made, well sprinted, towards Wooyoung's dorm. It was merely a few meters away from his own, there was no way, no way, that someone could have screamed out front of Wooyoung's window without San hearing it. 

San panned the area, searching, looking for anything out of the ordinary. He could hear Wooyoung talking on the other end of the phone, “I-There's nobody here..” San whispered, hanging up the call so that he was able to train his ears for any sound. 

And that is when he heard it. A small whimper, almost like a cat mewling. It was pitiful, quiet. He followed the sounds. 

Now, of course, was this a smart idea? No of course not. But San did not care, he was confused, curious, intrigued by this sound. This...thing. 

Yes, San would call it a thing. When he located said the thing, it looked like a naked mole-rat. A human-size naked mole-rat, hiding in a rain ditch beside the main building. 

San was disgusted. Okay, maybe that was harsh. San was...not thrilled to come in contact with this being. 

The being was shaking, face hidden by its arm as it shielded itself from San. The thing looked pitiful. Ginger hair matted and wet, although it hasn't rained in weeks. The thing was skinny and obviously quite tall.

“A-Are you okay?” San stuttered out, mentally slapping himself for the question. Of course, it was not okay! Look! It’s shaking!

San reached down, wanting to identify the being, hoping it was just a big joke from the college's art students. Maybe some elaborate joke for a youtube react channel, ‘What would you do if you see a naked dead person’

His hopes were unfortunately cut off when he heard the thing groan, turning towards him. Arm lifting off of its face to display its face. Or perhaps, lack of? 

San had never seen something, so hideous. He attempted to not gag and throw up right then and there. The thing's eyes were swollen shut, maggots eating the flesh off of its face. Blood dripping down the side of its face. Lips chapped and torn into shreds. Teeth barely in place, merely hanging onto its gums. Its eyebrows shaved off and eyes lacking any pigment.

San stared straight into the eyes of this being and was overwhelmed with a feeling of pain. His heart ached in a way he had never felt before. He fell to his knees, gasping out hot breaths as his heartbeat sped up to an unimaginable speed. His body felt as if it were inflamed. He turned away from the said thing. Hoping to rid his nose of the putrid smell that thing emitted. As he looked up with teary eyes he was faced with a shocked Wooyoung. 

The younger boy pulled him up to his feet whilst looking towards that figure. His mouth was agape and San could basically feel his heartbeat from where he stood. 

Wooyoung let go of the other boy's arms when he made sure the other wouldn't fall again. Wooyoung took a step forward. Towards that creature. San wanted to pull him away, San wanted to run away as quickly as possible. San did not want to be here any longer. 

Wooyoung knelt down next to the creature, arms slowly moving forward before San could shout for him to stop. 

“ _Wooyoung?_ ” the creature croaked. 

It couldn't be. This wasn't possible. This must be a dream. This can't be happening. But then again, anything was possible now, right?

“ _M-mingi…_?” Wooyoung spoke, his voice cracking at the last syllable. 

San turned away again and ran. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the late update. I promise I'll update more consistently from now on ^^. I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless . Next chapter gets... messy

**Author's Note:**

> The next chapter will include supernatural elements, although some hints are already given in this chapter as well. Leave your guesses in the comments below and see you soon. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed it and feel free to leave a comment and a kudo. I appreciate any feedback ;;
> 
> Let me know what to write next!
> 
> My twitter: @sugarwommy


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